


Tokyo Ghetto

by headofmarimo



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Angst, Childhood Trauma, Emotional Manipulation, Hurt/Comfort, I think? How much time needs to pass for it to qualify as a slow burn? Is there even a time limit?, M/M, Slow Burn, Smut, Teen Romance, pain-in-the-asses to friends with bennies to lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2020-11-26 11:00:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20929106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/headofmarimo/pseuds/headofmarimo
Summary: Akechi isn't sure why, but he finds himself increasingly drawn to the blond delinquent always clinging to Akira's side. Out of spite for Akira, he accepts Ryuji's begrudging invitations to spend time together.It was a bond that should have never formed, a contract that was never meant to be.





	1. Fill in the Blank

**Author's Note:**

> (Hey guys!  
I disappeared for a long time, huh. School has really been beating me down, but my love for long, drawn-out fanfic ideas that I want to write and will likely never finish keeps me writing!!  
Anyways, with all the news about Persona 5 Royal, I've been really excited about the new developments we'll have for Goro as a character. I kind of have a love-hate relationship with him, but I love the potential he has, and I love RyuGoro!! Hearing all the new stuff spurred me on to finally write this fic that I've wanted to for a while, heh.  
So yeah, hope you enjoy it! I'm not sure yet how long it will be, but let's just say that hopefully I'll finish it within the next year or two ^_^'  
hope you enjoy reading!)

The cozy atmosphere of Leblanc provided shelter from the relentless downpour outside, and the sound of the rain pattering against the roof mixed with the monotonous drone of the television reporter’s voice gave a backdrop of white noise to Goro Akechi’s thoughts as he focused on the crossword puzzle resting on the countertop before him. His brows were furrowed together in concentration, the tip of his pen tapping idly against the thin paper and his legs impatiently crossing over each other every few minutes or so as he found himself stuck on a certain word which was six squares long across. He read the definition again: _characterized by lack of good breeding or taste. _This was certainly a word he knew, so the fact that he couldn't think of an answer was all the more irritating. An exhale of frustration, and Goro idly combed his fingers through his hair until the tinkling of the entrance bell startled him out of focus.

“Damn it, I think I caught a cold!”

"Then you should have brought your umbrella.”

“Shut it, Akira! It’s not like you brought yours either! Hm? Oh, it’s you...”

Ryuji and Akira stood by the entrance, both soaking wet and trickling water onto the tiled floor.

“Hey, go outside if you’re going to make a mess!” scolded Sojiro once he saw them, shuffling over and handing them both dish towels before turning away with a sigh. “Jeez…”

Akira muttered a sheepish apology while Ryuji continued to glare at Akechi as he scrubbed the towel through his hair, and Akechi simply gave a small smile in return.

“Hello. Did you get caught in the rain as well? I’m just waiting it out here, so don’t mind me.” greeted Akechi.

“Yeah, whatever,” muttered Ryuji, and he rubbed the towel across his face before returning it to Sojiro with a quick expression of thanks, water still dripping from his clothes and his bag in a sporadic trail behind him as he headed towards the stairs. “Come on Akira.”

Akira, however, was still wiping the rim of his glasses, gray eyes inspecting Akechi. “We were going to watch The Running Dead. Want to join us?” he asked, causing Ryuji to exclaim in protest.

“Dude! What are you inviting him for?!” complained Ryuji, and Akechi shook his head, feeling the pen between his fingers threatening to crack from how tightly he was grasping it. Why did Sakamoto need to yell out every word he spoke?

“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll have to decline. I'm not really a fan of horror.” replied Akechi evenly, and they stared at each other for a few more moments before Akira finally shrugged his shoulders and walked past him, tossing the damp towel into the kitchen sink along the way.

“Alright then. Later, Akechi.”

He heard their footsteps marching up the stairs, and Akechi waited a bit longer to stand up and enter the bathroom, shutting the door under the pretense he was using the toilet only to press his ear against the wall in the direction of the attic's opening.

The heavy rain and television made it difficult to hear anything else, but Akechi could barely discern their conversation as he listened for information that could be linked to the Phantom Thieves.

“Ugh, why does that guy come here so often? It’s not like he needs to keep tailing us.” he heard Ryuji complain.

“Not everything he does is about us. Can’t you give him a break?” Akira’s voice admonished in return.

“I would if that smug bastard wasn’t blackmailing us! Not to mention actin’ all high and mighty and thinking he’s hot shit just because he got on television a few times! Seriously, every time I see him I want to wipe that stupid fake-ass smile off his face!”

There was a pause before Akechi heard Akira speak again. “Ryuji… I don’t think you’d be saying that if you actually spoke to him. What do you really know about him, anyways?”

“Well, I-” Ryuji began, only to groan in frustration. “Whatever. Still doesn’t change the fact that he’s blackmailing us.”

“No, not whatever. I know it’s forced, but the fact is he’s a part of the team now, and I won’t have either of you guys dying because you two refuse to cooperate when we’re in the Metaverse.” snapped Akira, and Ryuji didn’t respond, or he said something so quiet that it was drowned out by the torrential rain. “I don’t care what you do, but I want you to find a way to spend some time with Akechi, okay? Just make it so that you’re at least on tolerable speaking terms.”

“For real?! Why should I-”

“Please? At least do it for me?”

A long pause, and Ryuji groaned again. “Fine, but only because you asked me to. Don’t expect us to come out of this being all chummy.”

Akechi’s cheek felt cold from being pressed against the wall for so long, and he pulled away once he heard the television in the attic begin to blare, flushing the toilet and running the faucet for a bit before stepping out of the bathroom. He sat back down at the counter, the pen and open book of crossword puzzles left exactly as he placed him, and with renewed confidence he picked up the pen again and scribbled a letter in each empty box to spell out the word he needed to complete the puzzle.

_ Vulgar _

He leaned back to admire the finished product, taking another sip of his coffee in satisfaction.


	2. Kintsugi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Hi guys!  
Chapter 2 is ready with a lot more detail to boot! Long works are a challenge but hopefully I'm able to capture your interest with this story! Hope you enjoy reading!)

Lounging inside the restaurant, Akechi could hear the fervent whispers coming from the curious girls sitting around him, but he ignored them for the sake of the gorgeous ice cream sundae he was trying to take a picture of on his table. He had stood in line for at least an hour to finally attain a seat at this new dessert cafe, so he was glad he found an item worthy of his food blog as he carefully rotated the glass to catch the pink, star-shaped sprinkles and glaze of strawberry syrup at a better angle, snapping a picture and placing it under careful scrutiny before adding a caption.

_ Visiting the new sweets cafe! I’m hoping that this sundae tastes as good as it looks… _

He uploaded the post to his blog, waiting for the likes from his followers to pile up before he would refresh the page, and he finally picked up the spoon in preparation to take a scoop when his ringtone jingled to notify him of a new message.

Akechi unlocked his phone to read it, clicking his tongue in disdain once he saw who the message was from.

_ Ryuji _

_ We should train together. You free tomorrow? _

He dipped his spoon into the sugary concoction and took a bite while he typed a reply; the sweetness almost made him scrunch his nose.

_ Goro _

_ Not exactly free, but I’ll have some time in the afternoon, yes. Where do you want to train? _

_Ryuji _

_ There’s a gym on central street we can go to. I’ll meet you there _

_ Goro _

_ Very well. _

A quick page refresh, and Akechi found that his post had acquired well over five hundred likes already. He cleaned up the rest of the sundae and left money for the bill, giving a polite smile to the girls who coyly smiled back and continued staring at him as he walked away.

He made sure to leave a generous tip for the waitress, considering this would be the last time he would ever come here. 

* * *

Akechi arrived at Protein Lovers with his hair tied back in a loose ponytail, wearing a red shirt covered by a black jacket for the autumn chill and white shorts to match his clean white sneakers. He found Ryuji waiting by the entrance, his leg bouncing impatiently until he looked up from his phone once he heard Akechi’s footsteps.

“Good afternoon,” greeted Akechi while he adjusted the straps on his duffel bag.

“Hey,” huffed Ryuji, not sparing another glance as he turned his back and began to walk inside. “Come on, the sooner we start the sooner we finish.”

“Weren’t you the one who invited me here? What’s the rush?”

“Can it.”

Akechi tried not to roll his eyes at that, but he followed Ryuji into the gym nevertheless. He had never been here before, favoring a different gym which had a rock climbing course he could use, and he looked around until he landed his sights on a few girls who were staring at him and whispering among themselves. One girl jolted when she accidentally locked gazes with Akechi, and he flashed another smile until Ryuji clapped a hand on his shoulder, startling the girls into looking away.

“Quit flirting and head to the treadmills with me,” he growled, causing Akechi to sigh as he grabbed the offending hand and pulled it away from his shoulder.

“Sorry. I can’t really help it if people recognize me in public,” he chuckled, and Akechi couldn’t help but feel smug as he watched Ryuji flush in response while he yanked his hand from Akechi’s grasp. He knew that Ryuji didn’t want anything to do with him, and Akechi was perfectly fine with that. Perhaps he could discover another weakness of the Phantom Thieves if he was to be roped into this, or at the very least mess with Akira’s simple-minded crony.

He hopped onto one of the treadmills, ignoring Ryuji completely as he started up the machine and began a light jog; if Ryuji’s goal had been to initiate a proper conversation with him, he had picked a very poor workout to do so.

Ryuji, however, seemed to have other things on his mind, and he eyed the speed on Akechi’s treadmill before setting his own a few paces higher with a dismissive huff, plugging his earbuds in without another word.

He shouldn’t care, he really shouldn’t, but Akechi wasn’t one who liked to be bested, especially by someone beneath him. Then again, he also didn’t want to be seen as petty, so he casually waited a few minutes to turn up the speed to a pace higher than Ryuji’s while taking a sip from his water bottle, making sure that Ryuji was watching during one of his intermittent glares.

He heard a falter in Ryuji’s steps, followed by the beeping of the treadmill as he blatantly turned his own speed higher in turn, and the competitive spark in Akechi’s gut began to flare as irritation itched beneath his skin. Was this delinquent actually trying to make a statement against him?

Still, Akechi had an image to keep, and with a casual air he maintained the pace he set, running while his lungs began to burn and his breathing grew more shallow. He refused to stop, not until he saw Ryuji take his last step and concede, but Ryuji continued stubbornly without pause, sweat pouring down his back while the treadmill thrummed beneath him.

Many more minutes of continuous jogging, and Akechi genuinely felt like he might pass out if he doesn’t stop, but still Ryuji persisted, and so he kept going.

Akechi didn’t stop even when he heard the resounding crash beside him, Ryuji collapsing into the machine and flung against the floor.

Satisfied with his victory, he finally turned off the device and stepped down, acting concerned as he hunched over Ryuji’s crumpled body and tried to regulate his own heavy panting and pounding heart.

“Are you alright?” he asked, bending down while extending a hand to him. 

Ryuji didn’t respond, gasping for air and clutching his right leg. His face was contorted with pain as he tried to stand back up and failed miserably, cursing under his breath.

“Come on, what’s the matter? Don’t tell me you can’t get back up,” teased Akechi, unable to help but shift his weight uncomfortably; people were beginning to stare at them.

Ryuji fell silent at that, refusing to look Akechi in the eye. His hand was still in a vice grip around his thigh.

“You… actually can’t,” Akechi sighed, and he slung his arm around Ryuji’s waist to lift him back up, trying his best to ignore the lingering stares as he dragged Ryuji into the locker room. “What were you pushing yourself so hard for?” he muttered, but Ryuji didn’t answer. They already knew why.

Akechi set him down on a bench. “Is it sore? Would you like me to get you some ice?” 

“S’fine,” Ryuji snapped, but his wincing said otherwise. He rolled up his shorts, and Akechi’s eyes widened at the sight of a large, coarse scar beginning just above his right knee and trailing upwards to disappear beneath the loose fabric. He watched Ryuji dig his fingers deep into the meat of his thigh, grunting as he began to massage it. “Sometimes if I run too much my leg starts acting up. It’s no big deal.”

“I see…” Akechi took a seat beside Ryuji, idly swishing around the contents of his water bottle. “Do you… mind if I ask what happened?”

“My old track coach was talking shit about my mom, so I punched him for it. He broke my leg to return the favor.” replied Ryuji bitterly, and Akechi didn’t make any comments, unable to help but glance back at the scar.

“This track coach… was he the same one that y- the Phantom Thieves, took down as their first target?”

Ryuji nodded. “That bastard got what was coming to him. Not only was he abusing the volleyball team, but he was going around treating all the girls like his playthings. He was a complete shithead.” a rueful smile spread across his face, fingers indenting the band of pink flesh streaking across his thigh. “I’m glad he can’t hurt anyone else…”

The itch beneath Akechi’s skin returned, niggling irritation which made him want to curl his lip in contempt at Ryuji’s words. 

“That’s quite noble of you,” he remarked instead, confusion flashing across Ryuji’s face. “Even though he hurt you as well, you’re more concerned about the impact he had on others, I mean.”

“U-Uh-” Ryuji stammered. “I dunno about that. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I was pretty devastated at the time once I found out my leg got ruined, but…” his brows furrowed together. “It’s my fault the track team got disbanded too. Even if Kamoshida was pulling the strings, I should’ve known better than to ruin it for everyone else.”

Irritation turned to frustration, and Akechi covered his exasperated sigh by clearing his throat. “I wouldn’t say that was your fault. After all, it seemed Kamoshida had no intention of letting the track team remain together, considering he was more interested in coaching the volleyball team instead.”

“That wasn’t- that’s not the problem. The fact is I was the one who caused him to finally snap, and I took away so much from the others on the team because of it. Scholarships, recommendation letters, I really screwed them over.” his nails were pressing into his scar, threatening to cut apart his own skin. “At least now that he’s gone, the track team might regroup and have a clean start. I owed them that much to see he was brought to justice.”

“Well then, aren’t you just a prime example of altruism.” Akechi almost spat, and he didn’t think he could tolerate hearing any more. He stood back up, stuffing his towel and water bottle into his bag. “Shoot. I forgot I was supposed to attend a meeting today," he lied. "I’m really sorry, Sakamoto-kun. Goodbye, I hope your leg feels better soon.”

“O-Oh, okay…”

He slung the bag over his shoulder, not sparing Ryuji another glance until…

“Hey, Akechi.”

He looked back to see Ryuji offering him a weak smile. “My bad, you got to hear me rambling about all that crap. I uh… know we don’t always see eye-to-eye, but thanks for showing up today. See you later, alright?”

Akechi nodded curtly in return. “Farewell, Sakamoto-kun. Please do take care of yourself.”

He couldn’t bring himself to correct the scowl on his face as he left, resentment poisoning his thoughts and weighing like a stone in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Thanks for reading!)


	3. Feeling a Little Peculiar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Hey guys!  
Sorry for the long wait, school kinda sapped all of my motivation to write T-T still, I hope you enjoy this chapter!!)

It wasn’t until their next Phantom Thief meeting that Akechi would see Ryuji again. He idly leaned against the counter, listening to Makoto recite what they currently knew in terms of the casino’s layout and security while Ryuji rocked his chair back and forth precariously, flipping through the pages of his manga.

“Ryuji, pay attention. This is serious.” snapped Makoto, causing Ryuji to wince as he put the book aside. “If you don’t know what’s going on, you’ll put the rest of the team in danger as well.”

“Right, my bad…” he scrubbed a hand through his hair. “But like, we aren’t going to accomplish anything if we just sit here talking about it all day. Let’s just go already.”

“Yeah, let’s just aimlessly wander around until we get caught by Nijima’s shadows. Great idea Skull.” scoffed Morgana

“What was that?!” Ryuji shot a menacing glare at Morgana, and Akechi couldn’t help but wonder how the Phantom Thieves managed to stay together for so long if this was how they constantly behaved towards each other. Simply watching this sorry spectacle made him want to leave, so he decided to take matters into his own hands by acting as the mediator.

“It’s true that laying out a strategy beforehand is essential, but Ryuji has a point as well.” he said. “Our deadline is steadily approaching. We need to take action soon if we are to change Sae-san’s heart on time.”

He received a few raised eyebrows his way for his statement, but the one who caught his attention the most was Ryuji’s wide-eyed stare, clearly surprised that Akechi of all people had taken his side. Really though, what was there to be surprised about? He had just wanted to stop their needless bickering as soon as possible.

“R...Right, I see your point, Akechi. If we all feel comfortable with the plan, then we can go now.” said Makoto uneasily, and the other Phantom Thieves got to their feet without another complaint, silent aside from the scraping of chairs against the floor. Akechi didn’t acknowledge Ryuji’s apologetic grimace directed towards him as they left, but on the train ride to their destination, Ryuji seemed to have no issue sitting directly beside him anymore.

* * *

Inside the casino, the bright, flickering glow of neon signs and cheerful ditties from numerous slot machines made Sae’s palace a hotbed of desperate gamblers and empty promises to gain easy riches. Akechi had always hated relying on pure chance rather than skill, but the fact that these machines were all rigged to begin with only deepened his disgust. Shadows or not, the sheer lack of willpower exhibited by these adults was truly pathetic, constantly playing games they could never win.

“Let’s see… the red terminal should be around here…” said Futaba with her finger tapping against a specific area on the map. “But there’s a huge Shadow blocking the path. Joker, make sure everyone’s ready before you head in.”

Akira nodded, and the closer they approached the sharper Akechi’s focus became on the pounding of his heart and the sound of blood roaring in his ears. It marked the beginning of a familiar thrill which only came from the feeling of adrenaline pumping through his veins to prepare him for whatever battle he needed to face. The Shadow, massive and emanating an air of threatening power, loomed in front of the stairs they needed to access, so Joker had no choice but to face their enemy head on as he charged towards the shadow faster then it could react. The blade of his dagger sliced across the Shadow’s neck before he leapt back with practiced grace, the group watching with bated breath as the Shadow convulsed into a heap of black ooze and rose from the inky sludge as fully-fledged adversaries. Their opponents were tough, but Akechi had never been one to back down from a challenge. With a small flourish of his saber he lunged into battle, gritting his teeth when the shadow he assaulted deflected his blow with a heavy paw.

He was too preoccupied with his own fight to observe how well the others were performing, but out of the corner of his eye he could see Skull rushing towards him with his bat readily held in his hands, as if Akechi was in need of extra assistance.

“I’m fine! Go help the others!” he insisted, irritated by the very notion that Skull felt he would need help. With an indignant huff he summoned Robin Hood to send the Shadow flying backwards, the tips of his fingers tingling from the burst of magic he used up as brilliant blue flames danced across his temples.

At the very least, Skull followed his demand and leapt into the fray elsewhere, and before Akechi could revel in his momentary victory over the Shadow he felt himself knocked back by a terrible surge of curse magic, stumbling to his knees with his weight propped onto his saber as his strength fled. Dizzying lights swirled in his vision, the ringing in his ears deafening while his entire world spun around him, but his bone-chilling fear of death soon became overridden with insurmountable anger that this cognitive abomination had dared to strike him, bracing the pain with a bit of Loki’s aid as he sent a physical attack the Shadow’s way. The result was overkill, instantly hacking the Shadow into pieces until it dissipated into ashes with an agonized shriek, and he hoped none of the others had noticed the unusual strength behind his attack.

It seemed he had no need to worry, however, because soon afterwards another shriek pierced the air. He whipped his head around to see Panther’s mouth agape with horror as she watched a Shadow slice through Skull’s right shoulder, blocking the attack which would have otherwise struck her directly.

Skull didn’t let out so much as a grunt, everyone’s focus trained on their injured teammate as the Shadow kicked him away without a second thought. Panther stood rigid in place as Skull tumbled across the floor with his wound freely pouring blood on the thin carpet. Her eyes blazed with an unspoken, murderous fury, fire crackling from her silhouette as Carmen glared disdainfully at the perpetrator, and Akechi almost felt sorry for the Shadow when a spiraling inferno engulfed its body and burnt it to fine cinders. The Shadow’s tortured screams echoed throughout the room, but the fight otherwise seemed to resume once everyone else had been assured that Panther could take care of Skull now, rushing to his side and casting a healing spell to close up the wound. The chances that they would lose this fight were slim, so Akechi didn’t bother leaping into the fray. 

Finally, a single, cornered Shadow remained, eyes frantically darting about for escape as they closed in on it like wolves. In its final moments of desperation the Shadow lunged towards the nearest thief’s head, which happened to be Akechi’s, and although Akechi was more than prepared to intercept him, he could still see Ryuji, barely recovering and weary, lunging towards him in preparation to take the hit nevertheless.

The last thing he needed on his conscience was this reckless idiot getting injured again because of him, sighing heavily as he pierced the tip of his saber directly through the Shadow’s chest where it disintegrated on the spot with an anguished wail.

He turned to Ryuji, not even bothering to hide the bitter scowl gracing his features. “And just what do you think you’re doing?”

Ryuji blinked at him. “What do you mean?”

“I could see you from a mile away. You were planning to intercept the blow for me, weren’t you? Even though you had already done so for Panther. Are you that foolish? Or just insane?”

“You didn’t look like you were gonna react in time! I just figured I needed to step in-”

“Well you figured wrong! An enemy like that wouldn’t even be able to scratch me! The next time you believe I am incompetent of fending for myself think otherwise!” Goro barked.

“What is your problem?! My bad for wanting to help out an arrogant asshole like yourself, detective prince! Sorry for tryna save your skin!” Ryuji snarled. His suit was still torn at the place the Shadow’s blade had cut into his shoulder, exposing a silver line left behind by the freshly healed wound.

“Before worrying about others, why not protect yourself for a change?” Akechi argued, exasperated. “You’ve already gotten injured once trying to help Panther. I understand you are worried for your teammates, but shouldn’t you have more faith that they can take care of themselves?”

“Don’t give me that bullshit! If I had sat back and done nothing Panther would’ve been killed-!”

“G-Guys, that’s enough.” interrupted Makoto, stepping between them. “You did a very brave thing, Skull, but Crow is right. Try to think more before rushing in to take the hit for other people.”

“Just a moment. So you’re fine with Skull acting as your meat shield so long as he does it tactfully?” scoffed Akechi as he readjusted his glove. He stepped past the others, not even sparing a second glance towards Makoto’s wince. “And here I thought you all cared about each other. Not that it concerns me.”

“Don’t act like you know anything-” Makoto began to argue, clearly upset by his words.

“Like I said, it doesn’t concern me. Let’s just get the job done already.”

Futaba managed to hack into the terminal, but the atmosphere remained tense with a heavy silence weighing in the air as they returned to the slot machines. The others were evidently displeased with his words, Makoto refusing to even make eye contact with him, not that Akechi particularly cared. He hadn’t come here to make friends, and even if his cold behavior did draw their suspicions they were in no position to defy him.

So the fact that Ryuji came up to him after they emerged from another battle, pouting petulantly as he gave Akechi a firm slap across his back, surprised him.

“You should apologize to her.” Ryuji casually suggested, sipping on his can of soda as he watched Makoto punch a Shadow’s face in with more force than necessary.

“For what? Pointing out the apathy in her logic?”

“Ape-thy or not, she’s not heartless. I think it’s… nice you tried to defend me, but you shouldn’t have went after her like that.”

“It doesn’t matter how she feels as long as it doesn’t affect the mission. Our relationship is purely professional anyways.” he snapped.

“Dude, if the others start disliking you more you bet your ass it’s gonna affect the mission. So man up and apologize if you don’t want to keep the cold shoulder from everyone.”

Unbelievable. Akechi sighed, wondering sullenly how he had managed to wind up in this predicament. Makoto was in a deep conversation with Futaba on the other side of the room, making the initial approach even more difficult. Ideally he could just wait until after they called it a day, but Ryuji’s persistent glare implied he would not be allowed to.

“Queen,” he said, causing Futaba to jolt and glance between the two before scurrying away. He cleared his throat and shifted his weight slightly from one foot to another. Why was he doing this again? Why was he actually following through with what Ryuji demanded of him? “I… apologize, if my earlier remarks were blunt. It was not my intention to offend you.” he stated carefully. “I hope we can continue working together with no hostilities between us.”

“E-Eh? Oh, um, of course…” Makoto sounded surprised, not that Akechi could blame her, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved when she offered him an awkward smile in return. “I-I mean, I’m at fault too… I can’t deny what you said is right. I’m trying my best to change my attitude so… don’t think less of me, okay?”

“S-Sure…” neither of them really knew how to end the discussion on a graceful note, so Makoto simply turned away with a mumbled farewell before Akechi walked back to a smug Ryuji who was waiting for him with his arms folded across his chest.

“See? That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” Ryuji chuckled.

“I suppose not. But I never want to do something like that again.” muttered Akechi, causing Ryuji to snort in return.

“You tellin’ me Goro Akechi clammed up while talkin’ to a girl? Shit! Or maybe you’ve never had to say sorry before?”

“Oh shut up!” hissed Goro, uncharacteristically indignant while Ryuji burst into more stifled laughter. He couldn’t believe he’s been made a joke out of, cheeks bright red when he pulled his mask lower in an attempt to cover them. 

The rest of the mission felt considerably less chilly, at least, yet Akechi didn’t know how to react aside from nervous laughter when Ryuji suddenly became much more… physical with him after the apology. Small but noticeable gestures beyond their high-fives, such as clapping his shoulder or slinging an arm around him, and when they wrapped up their remaining tasks for the day in Nijima’s palace Ryuji had given him a tight squeeze he could feel to his very bones before departing, as if to show his gratitude for earlier.

“See ya, Akechi!” Ryuji had cheerfully called to him as he walked the opposite direction with Akira. Akechi could only halfheartedly wave back, his other hand digging tightly into his arm where Ryuji had pressed against him.

He could still feel the hug on the subway ride home, tingling beneath his skin and giving his entire body a sort of light buzz that left him confused and embarrassed. Still, Goro couldn’t help but cling to the gentle warmth spreading from where he had been touched even as he clambered into bed; a secret, ignoble pleasure which he would never admit to a single soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (So in PQ2, Ryuji has a move where he literally absorbs the blow from an attack for another teammate |:) That's what I based this off of.  
Thanks for reading!!)

**Author's Note:**

> (Thanks for reading!  
Not sure when I'll have chapter two ready, but please believe that I will be adding it!)


End file.
